Cushioning bumper



Dec. 1, 1953 D. R. FALKENBERG CUSHIONING BUMPER 2 Shees's-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 1950 INVENTOR. DOUGLASS 'RJFALKENBERG Dec. 1, 1953 D. R. FALKENBERG CUSHIONING BUMPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 3, 1950 R mm m% Y 3 MN E I E N K R W0 M .T T RM; 6 2. S 8 M Av. LB I G I. U O G H F Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATETNT OFFICE CUSHIONING BUMPER Douglass R. Falk'enberg Lakewood, fihio Application March 3, 1950, Serial N'm 147,369

4 Claims. (01. 16-122 The invention relates to bumpers, and is illustrated herein by drawings and a description showing, first, the application thereof to pullweights and its use in connection with cords that are utilized for traversing and/or raising and lowering draperies.

A second application of the invention relates to its use as a sleeve for door knobs.

The claims of the instant application are limited to the improvements in bumpers which serve as pull-weights.

The objects of the invention are to provide an article of the character stated which will not break windows or mar walls and woodwork, which is noiseless, which is of ornamental and pleasing appearance, and which can be manufactured at a cost which permits sale thereof at an economical price. v

Insofar as the application of the principle of the invention to pull-weights is concerned, the merits of the invention are of particular value since pull-weights of the character stated have become of greatly increased size and weight for many of the draperies with which they are now used.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detail certain means illustrating the improvements in bumpers, such disclosed means constituting, however, only a few of the many forms in which the principle of the invention may be embodied.

In said annexed drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of the improved pull-weight;

Figure 2 is an axial section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2, Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line 3-3, Figure 1;

Figure 4 is atop planof the pull-weight shell or cover;

Figure 5 is an elevation, partially in section, showing the pull-weight impinging upon a winnow or wall;

Figure 6 is an elevation of a second form of the improved pull-weight;

Figure 7 is a top plan of the shell of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is an axial section, taken in the planes indicated by the line 3-8, Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an elevation, partially in section, of a third form of the improved pull-weight;

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a form of the improved bumper applicable for use with door knobs, a door plate and a fragmentary portion of a door being also shown in the figure; and

Figure 11 is an axial section of the bumper shown in Figure 10, the door knob and its assoelated elements beingshown in elevation, the section being indicated by the line i ll I, Figure weight shown-in Figures 1 to 5, a heavy bulbous core of the improved pull-weight, preferably a die-cast body, comprises an elongated upwardlytapered tubular metal element I, preferably zinc, having a flaring shoulder 2 somewhat removed from its larger end whence the core continues in an outwardly convex formation 3 to a substantially plane apertured lower face 4, as shown in Figure 2. The hole 5 in this tubular core accommodates a length of cord 6 having an end knot 6 which is disposed in a lower end larger cross-sectional part 5 of the hole 5, thus providing for suspension of the pull-weight from the cord- 6. The lower outer end of the larger part 5 of the hole 5 forms the aperture in the face 4 of the core I. The cord 6 at its other end is connected to the drapery traversing mechanism or utilized for raising and lowering draperies, as is well understood in the art. The hole 5 is made in the metal element I by an arbor or any other suitable device for forming the hole during the casting of the metal core.

Conforming to the exterior surface of the metal core I is a shell orcover 8 having a depending skirt spaced at its lower end from the lower part 3 of the metal core. Asvhereinafter fully explained, the skirt comprises an inner portion and a spaced flared outer flexible portion at the lower part of the cover. Preferably the shell or cover 8 is molded to the metal core I and is formed of a flexible and cushioning plastic such as polyethylene or other similar ,oily and rubber-like plastic which is non-soluble. The shell has an elongated tapered upper end portion conforming to the end portion l of the metal core and an enlarged lower end portion providing the flexible cushioning bumper eifect. Preferably the enlarged lower end of the shell 8 is of elongated inverted U-like axial section having the transversely-spaced cover skirt portions 9 and III, as

3 leg 9 of the U-shaped end of the molded plastic shell have bottom inwardly-turned peripheral edge portions 3 and 9 of annular formation, of which 9 is molded closely around 3 Referring to the form of the improved pullweight shown in Figures 6, 7, and 8, the heavy core I2, preferably metal, is of generally elliptical axial cross-section, and is formed at its lower end with an inwardly extending peripheral flange I2 thus providing a bottom recess I3. The core I2 is formed with an opening therethrough from end to end through which passes the operating cord I5 having a knotted lower end I5 seated in the recess I3. A shell or cover I6 of flexible cushioning plastic is molded around the core I2 and has an inturned lower end flange I'I closely engaging the inner face of the core flange I2 and providing a socket into which the knotted end I5 of the cord l5 extends.

Branching from the plastic shell l6, adjacent its lower end, is a flaring skirt portion l8 of subdivided scalloped formation to provide spaced petals I9, Figure '7.

Referring to the form of the improved pullweight shown in Figure 9, substantially the same structure is shown as in Figures 6, '7, and 8 except that the flaring skirt 20 of the device shown in Figure 9 is an unbroken structure and is elongated at its outer end into an upturned annular peripheral rim 2I.

The devices shown and described serve efl'ecti-vely as pull-weights inasmuch as they provide plastic shell shown in Figure 2, and the petals I9 shown in Figure '7, and the upturned peripheral edge portion 2I shown in Figure 9, provide resilient structures which are substantially noiseless upon impact with windows, walls, and the 7 like, and which flex in and absorb any impact of the pull-weights, when the latter are swinging or disturbed for any reason, without-marring or breaking such window, wall, woodwork or other object I I with which the pull-weights come into contact, as shown in Figure 5.

The bumper or cushion formed of polyethylene or similar oily and resilient plastic changes its shape upon impact but does not squeeze together into a smaller space. All of the different forms of applicants pull-weight provide space for the action of the cushioning bumper which is a flexing action and not one in which the total cubic content of the impacted rim is substantially decreased by the impact.

The form of the improved bumper shown in Figures 10 and 11 is applicable for use with door knobs to provide a non-marring effect such as has been described with reference to the pullweight formation shown in Figures 1 to 9.

For door knob use, the knob 23 itself is the hard core. As shown in Figure 11, these knobs 23 are usually provided with an end shoulder 23 by means of which they are secured to the door bolt actuating mechanism, the shoulder 23 abutting the outer end of a central tubular flange portion 24 of the door plate 24 secured to the door 25.

The improved bumper is a sleeve closely engaged with the outer surfaces of the knob 23, shoulder 23 and flange 24 and has a main body portion 26 surrounding the door knob 23 and an extended collar 2'! surrounding the shoulder 23 and the flange 24 This sleeve is preferably formed of semi-rigid plastic material having flexible characteristics and is extended at its outer end into an enlarged annular formation 28 which takes the impact when the door knob 23 strikes adjacent walls, etc., and thus provides the noiseless and non-marring effects. In the form of flexible bumpers shown in Figures 10 and 11 the annular formation 28 itself provides the space in which the flexure may take place. Preferably, the inner surface of the body portion 26 of the bumper is recessed to form a seat 26 with which the door knob 23 snugly engages.

What I claim is:

1. In a pull-weight for a drapery and other like cord-operated mechanism formed for swinging suspension and having a heavyweight bulbous body, the improvement comprising a lightweight relatively thin resilient shell enclosing said body, the lower portion of said shell being divided into an inner skirt portion and an outer flexible skirt portion spaced from said inner skirt portion, said inner skirt portion embracing and fitting over the lower end of the body and said outer flexible skirt portion serving as a bumper for the pull-weight.

2. A pull-weight, as characterized in claim 1, in which the shell is formed of an oily and resilient plastic of the order of polyethylene.

3. A pull-weight, as characterized in claim 1, in which the body is tubular to provide a suspending-cord hole, and in which the inner skirt portion also embraces and fits over the bottom face of the body and is extended into the latter to form an enlarged cord recess aligned with the cord hole.

4. A pull-weight, as characterized in claim 1, in which the outer skirt portion is turned upwardly at the bottom to form a flaring peripheral rim.

DOUGLASS R. FALKENBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 334,412 Bate Jan. 19, 1886 443,013 Smith Dec. 16, 1890 646,823 Gavin Apr. 3, 1900 948,109 I-Iarrigan Feb. 1, 1910 2,131,067 Paden Sept. 27, 1938 

